Cameroon

Active Cases

Cameroon - Violent repression and arrests of human rights defenders following a peaceful demonstration by the ACDIC

Front Line is deeply concerned by the arrest of Mr Bernard Njonga, Mr. Isaac Difakoué and two other members of the Association Citoyenne de Défense des Intérêts Collectifs - ACDIC (The Citizens Association for the Defence of Collective Interests) who were amongst nine protesters arrested during a peaceful protest on 10 December 2008 in Yaoundé. Two other ACDIC members, Mr Nono Theophile and Mr Mowha Franklin, were severely beaten by the police during the demonstration. Bernard Njonga is the National President of the ACDIC and Isaac Difakoué is the Vice-President of the same organisation. The ACDIC is a citizen´s movement which defends the rights of citizens in Cameroon.  

• Cameroon

• Cameroon
• Front Line
• human rights
• Human Rights Defenders

Cameroon – Charges pending against human rights defender, Mr Mamsour Hamadou

Front Line is concerned following reports of charges of “impersonating a lawyer” and “threats” pending against human rights defender Mamsour Hamadou, following his arrest on 22 November 2008 in Maroua, Far North Province. Mamsour Hamadou is a member of the Mouvement pour la Défense des Droits Humains et des Libertés – MDDHL (Movement for the Defence of Human Rights and Liberties).  

• Cameroon
• Front Line
• human rights
• human rights defender
• Mamsour Hamadou

• Cameroon

Human rights defenders in Cameroon have been subjected to arbitrary detention, judicial harassment, acts of intimidation and threats. Freedom of expression and freedom of association are very limited. In particular members of human rights organisations and journalists are targeted.

The human rights community in Cameroon comprises of non governmental organisations, members of student unions, trade unions, refugee communities, religious communities, human rights lawyers, journalists and development workers. It is hard to determine the number of human rights defenders in Cameroon as due to the danger they face they often work in secrecy. A number of government-backed human rights organisations have been established in Cameroon but these tend to undermine and contradict the work of independent human rights organisations and attempt to discredit them by labeling them as organisations opposed to the government. Members of human rights organisations have been subjects of police surveillance and instances of judicial harassment, arbitrary detention and physical assaults against human rights defenders have been reported. Journalists have been sued for libel.